Nielsen study shows black and white viewing habits coming together

NEW YORK (AP) - By standard television measurements, "The Steve Harvey Show" isn't a hit. Last week it ranked 101st on the Nielsen Media Research list of 132 prime-time programs.

Among black audiences, though, the WB's Thursday night comedy is the most popular show on the air.

It's one example of how blacks and whites differ in what they watch. A new study, however, shows the races may be finding more common ground as networks do a better job putting together multiethnic casts.

During the last three months of 1998, six shows ranked among the 20 most-watched series in both black and white homes, according to the study by TN Media, an advertising buying firm. They were "ER," "60 Minutes," "Monday Night Football," "Touched By an Angel," "NYPD Blue" and "The CBS Sunday Movie."

Two years ago, the two races had only "Monday Night Football" in common as a favorite show. The three entertainment series on the recent list have multiethnic casts, which is becoming a more frequent practice, said Stacey Lynn, vice president of broadcast research at TN Media.

Younger networks that tried to establish themselves by appealing to a black audience - Fox, the WB and UPN - have recently broadened their appeal, she said.

CBS is now the top-rated network among both blacks and whites after several years in which Fox had the largest claim on the black audience, the study said. CBS's ratings are remarkably similar for both races.

That may be because CBS's shows appeal to an older audience and many of the black-oriented programs on other networks are aimed at young people, Lynn said.

"At some point there is a lot of common ground and age is one of those things," she said.

The WB and UPN still have significantly higher ratings among blacks. So far, the WB is doing a much better job than its rival in broadening its audience without alienating blacks, Lynn said.

NBC is having the most difficult time attracting a black audience. NBC Entertainment President Scott Sassa said last month the network needed to do a better job reflecting the country's diversity instead of concentrating on wealthy, white city-dwellers.